Electra (radio)
Encyclopedia
Electra, more formally the Electra Proximity Payload, is a software-defined radio
defined and implemented by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
for use between spacecraft. It is typically used by a lander to communicate with an orbiter that can then communicate with Earth. From the JPL description:
The use of such a relay increases the amount of data that can be returned by two to three orders of magnitude.
The analog and digital signal processing is discussed in The Electra Radio.
Software-defined radio
A software-defined radio system, or SDR, is a radio communication system where components that have been typically implemented in hardware are instead implemented by means of software on a personal computer or embedded computing devices...
defined and implemented by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a federally funded research and development center and NASA field center located in the San Gabriel Valley area of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The facility is headquartered in the city of Pasadena on the border of La Cañada Flintridge and Pasadena...
for use between spacecraft. It is typically used by a lander to communicate with an orbiter that can then communicate with Earth. From the JPL description:
Many exploration platforms, such as balloons, gliders, airplanes, penetrators, and small landers, are severely constrained in mass, volume, power, and energy. For such missions, the high energy-per-bit required for direct-to-earth communications, as well as the operational complexity of pointing a high-gain antenna, are prohibitive. Such mission concepts are enabled by the possibility of relay communications to a nearby orbiter, via simple omnidirectional relay communications links.
The use of such a relay increases the amount of data that can be returned by two to three orders of magnitude.
The analog and digital signal processing is discussed in The Electra Radio.
Uses
- Mars Reconnaissance OrbiterMars Reconnaissance OrbiterMars Reconnaissance Orbiter is a NASA multipurpose spacecraft designed to conduct reconnaissance and Exploration of Mars from orbit...
- PhoenixPhoenix (spacecraft)Phoenix was a robotic spacecraft on a space exploration mission on Mars under the Mars Scout Program. The Phoenix lander descended on Mars on May 25, 2008...
- Mars ExpressMars ExpressMars Express is a space exploration mission being conducted by the European Space Agency . The Mars Express mission is exploring the planet Mars, and is the first planetary mission attempted by the agency. "Express" originally referred to the speed and efficiency with which the spacecraft was...
- Mars Exploration RoverMars Exploration RoverNASA's Mars Exploration Rover Mission is an ongoing robotic space mission involving two rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, exploring the planet Mars...
s Spirit and Opportunity. - Mars Science LaboratoryMars Science LaboratoryThe Mars Science Laboratory is a National Aeronautics and Space Administration mission with the aim to land and operate a rover named Curiosity on the surface of Mars. The MSL was launched November 26, 2011, at 10:02 EST and is scheduled to land on Mars at Gale Crater between August 6 and 20, 2012...
, which uses a new version of Electra, Electra-lite.